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KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim’s bid to
seize power will fail, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said
Friday, promising to thwart any attempts to topple his government.
Anwar, a former deputy premier and finance
minister who was sacked and jailed a decade ago, has vowed to oust
the ruling coalition by mid-September with the help of defecting
lawmakers.
Abdullah said Anwar’s three-member Pakatan
Rakyat opposition alliance was banking on members of the ruling
party defecting but insisted that would not happen, according to the
state Bernama news agency.
“We will not give them the opportunity to set
up government on September 16,” Abullah said.
Pakatan Rakyat gained unprecedented ground
against the Barisan Nasional coalition in the March general
election, securing a third of parliamentary seats and five states.
To seize power, Anwar needs 30 defectors.
Abdullah is facing calls from within his ruling
party to quit as his popularity plummets due to a steep rise in
inflation and allegations of economic mismanagement.
He has promised to quit in mid-2010 and hand
over to his deputy Najib Razak.
-- AFP
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